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$100 an hour historically. I'm thinking about going up or setting a $250 minimum. Swarms are another story. I ask for gas money if they sound desparate to get rid of them or if they are more than a few miles away. Otherwise, easy swarms are free.

How to have (semi) flexible pricing in a professional way... I would be very seriously interested in how others have managed this.

I charge $75 an hour with a travel charge. I am not a contractor so I do not do repairs.

I often run into people who either:
-aren't able/ willing to pay this price
-are going to spray raid at the bees after I tell them my price, even though I tell them I charge 2-3 times as much to come clean up the results of their bad choice

In many cases (when I am not too busy) I would be happy or willing to do these jobs at at a reduced rate.

My question: how do you manage to adjust your rates, to get these 'customers' back but still sound totally professional?

I don't. There are far more calls than I can get around to. I always assume the bees have already been sprayed and charge accordingly.

Ditto. In my experience a good portion of them clearly have been sprayed. And YEP I charge... removals are physical, messy and dangerous, wielding power tools up on ladders and such. And the work is about half done when you get home, don't forget the care for the bees and the CLEANUP when you get home.

How to Price Removals

I'm in PA outside Philadelphia.

I charge by the hour - $75, with a two hour minimum. Thinking about upping this by $10 or $20 - what are others charging in the PA/NJ/NY area?

When I first talk to the potential customer, I let them describe the situation to me in as much detail as they can, and let them tell me if they sprayed or not. I charge $15/hr more if the bees have been sprayed.

I have been out to do removals in the past where I was assured they were honeybees, only to find yellowjackets. The prep work (empty supers, empty frames with rubber bands, etc., loading up, travel time, etc.) makes the minimum a necessity.

Last year I did not do removals as a result of moving a good distance from my hives. This year I'll be doing them again as a result of losing my job back in February.

Travel time sounds like a good idea - I sometimes get calls from people an hour or more away. What do you charge for this? An extra hour tacked onto your minimum? I advertise "free estimates," but when they're real far, I can't do this and need to figure a fair way to charge for the travel.

Oh - I have a contract that I describe to the customer before I even drive out, and I have them sign it after I've looked over the situation but before I start any actual work. It says basically three things:

1. Bees sting. I'm not liable for any stings that occur on the property.
2. Accidental damage may occur - I'm not liable for accidental damage.
3. The Homeowner is responsible for any repairs that may be necessary.

I have been warned that bees sting, and that there will be flying bees during the bee/hive removal process. I agree that [BEEKEEPER'S NAME] shall not be held liable for any stings that occur on the above property.

Significant care will be taken not to create damage other than that required to remove the bees/hive. I understand that accidental damage may occur, and I therefore agree that [BEEKEEPER'S NAME] shall not be held liable for damage that may occur during the bee/hive removal process.

The terms of this agreement are for bee/hive removal only. Once the bees and hive are removed, the Property Owner is responsible for any repairs that may be necessary.

Re: How to price bee removal

BTW, I now charge $100/hr with a $250 minimum. I price most of my jobs by the hour, though I price some jobs (where I have a reasonably good idea how long the job will take) by the job - usually in the $400 - $500 range. When I price a job by the hour, I provide a "cap" so the client knows the maximum the job will cost - usually around $600. I maintain a list of reference clients, and I keep track of all jobs and estimates with both photos and written records.

I provide free honeybee removal estimates, but charge $35 - $50 ($50 for a commercial client) if I show up and the "honeybees" are YJs or some other insect. I explain this clearly beforehand, and talk the client through identification for as long as it takes (so we both feel comfortable) on the phone prior to the estimate.

I service three counties, so I sometimes drive over an hour to get to a job. When all is said and done, I can spend 8 to 9 hours including prep, drive time, bee disposal (hive setup, etc.), and cleanup on a 4 hour job, which works out to $50/hr. Pretty reasonable for the client and for me, in my opinion.

Re: How to price bee removal

Hello, I thought I would chime in here as a businessman that specializes in the removal of wildlife (including honeybees) from homes.
Just from the sake of pure liability it might be prudent to separate one's bee removal activities from one's personal assets as one litigous client can encumber everything remotely associated with the bee removal operation.
I can not advise on the best course of action as I am not A) an attorney B) an insurance underwriter C) an expert in anything other than the capture and control of wildlife.
Here are some things I do that I hope save me some grief if it should ever hit the fan. My business, Georgia Wildlife Services, Inc is an incorporated sub chapter S corporation filed with the secretary of state in Georgia. This nominally seperates the company assets and activities from my own personal assets and activities. NOTE; any business dealings by myself MUST be conducted as an agent/employee of the corporation even though I am the owner/president/CEO/CFO and secretary of the corporation. The corporate veil must be maintained to provide separation of assets. The corporation also maintains insurance on it's activities for the sole purpose of protecting it's clients from bad actions by the corporation (not as some would believe to protect me). The corporation also requires that all activites and work be in WRITING prior to the start of work performed WITH signatures of acknowledgement by both the client and agent of the corporation.
Again I make no claim to expertise in this area but just tossing this out for your consideration, particularly if one chooses to offer his/her services for a fee. Free service may or may not be covered under the homeowners policy (?invited guest?), I would check on that if I offered no charge services.

Re: How to price bee removal

Originally Posted by magnet-man

I was thinking of doing some bee removal and wanted to know how everyone figures pricing.

Before I got my removal license (allowing me to charge for removals in TX) I did the removal for free, but only after the property owner reimbursed my actual travel expenses to come out and examine the hive.
...Now that the state has assured me my license is "in the mail" I'll be re-editing all my ads & will have a $100 minimum + fuel surcharge (95% of my calls are from at least 25 minutes away...gas costs money), and I'm also considering adding a $100 AHB/sprayed hive/super-agressive bees surcharge.
I don't/won't charge based on my time "on scene" as I generally like to "take my time" when handling the cut-outs & would feel I was cheating the customer if I were charging by the hour. That said, I WILL charge based on the size/accessibility of the hive; still working out how to do that w/o losing the appearance of professionalism though.... ideas anyone?

Re: How to price bee removal

I charge $75 plus travel at 50 cents a mile to come out and estimate the problem. If you like my quote I apply the $75 towards the first hour of work and then it is $60 an hour thereafter.

I make sure that they are aware that they may get stung, and that I will not be responsible for any damage done to the building or its plumbing/electrical systems nor will I be held accountable for any damages if these systems should catch something on fire or in the event of water damage. Further more I make it clear that they are responsible to ensure that all the honey is cleaned out before they have a contractor repair the structure. I do my best to be very careful when removing building materials and I get all the comb and MOST of the honey out, but if they dont want rodent or insect problems in the future, they really need to wash down the area after I leave...